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“Tweeting is a lot like the nervous system,” Curator Rob DeSalle told the crowd that gathered on Wednesday, January 12 for the first-ever Tweetup at the American Museum of Natural History—a comparison all the more appropriate coming from DeSalle, who curated the Museum’s interactive exhibition Brain: The Inside Story.

After refreshments, tweeters headed behind the scenes to learn about the brains of other creatures from Museum scientists and to get a peek at Museum collections. Christine Johnson, a curatorial associate in the Division of Invertebrate Zoology, discussed group decision-making and chemical triggers in ants. Ronald Clouse, a post-doctoral researcher, presented specimens of crustaceans and a few echinoderms while discussing how some of these simple organisms make sophisticated decisions.

To see all the tweets about the event, look for the hashtag #AMNHTweetup or check out the photos on Flickr-and stay tuned for information about upcoming Tweetups at the American Museum of Natural History.

The human brain is sometimes described as the world’s most complex structure. Today, advances in biochemistry and new technologies that allow us to watch the brain in action are revealing more than ever before.

In this podcast, the scientists behind the special exhibition, Brain: The Inside Story, present a master class on all things brain. Join the discussion on topics ranging from neural evolution to the latest in brain-imaging technology.

Speakers, in order of appearance, include neuroscientist psychoanalyst Maggie Zellner of The Rockefeller University; Rob DeSalle, curator in the Division of Invertebrate Zoology at the American Museum of Natural History; and Joy Hirsch, director of the Program for Imaging & Cognitive Sciences at Columbia University.

By examining the neural wiring and structure of animal brains, researchers can gain insight into the workings of the human brain, sometimes described as the world’s most complex structure. (The 100,000 neurons of a fly’s brain are easier to track and catalog than the human brain’s one hundred billion.) In the Museum’s current exhibition Brain: The Inside Story, visitors can learn more about the difference — and similarities — between human and animal brains.

Visitors will have also have the chance to view and compare the brains of different animals on Saturday, January 15, at the family-friendly program BRAINFest! The Museum’s Sackler Lab will offer kids and families the chance to learn about how genes work in the brain and look at neurons under a microscope.

In the meantime, check out these recent stories on animal brain research that also provides insight into the human brain.